Dry Aging at Home

[tony b]

@Syzygies Thanks, but not my thing at all. The only thing that I actually ferment outside of my beers/meads/ciders, is my hot sauce. Maybe a quick pickle of something, but that's about the extent of it. 

Edited September 11, 2022 by tony b

[tekobo]

Never say never @tony b.  The fermenting hole is deep and rewarding.

@Syzygies, I have been meaning to ask you about vinegars.  Do you have any go-to recipes for the vinegars that you make?  I have tried to make some fruit vinegars and the jury is out on whether I have made a nice vinegar or something that leads you to screw up your face and say that tastes vinegary  in a way that is not complimentary.

I have seen the "mother" floating on vinegars but I produced a weird gel like substance when I made a cider vinegar based shrub recently.  Have you ever seen anything that looks like the creature in the picture below?

Edited September 14, 2022 by tekobo

[tekobo]

On 1/31/2021 at 10:43 PM, jonj said:

My cold room...      😉

I was re-reading this thread this morning.  Distraction from doing actual work.  This photo made me laugh.  Again.  I wonder if I should dedicate this day to drinking rather than working?

[Syzygies]

On 9/14/2022 at 6:30 AM, tekobo said:

I have been meaning to ask you about vinegars.  Do you have any go-to recipes for the vinegars that you make?  I have tried to make some fruit vinegars and the jury is out on whether I have made a nice vinegar or something that leads you to screw up your face and say that tastes vinegary  in a way that is not complimentary.

I have indeed made vinegar for decades. I've found red wine vinegar to be easy, and white wine or dessert wine to be inexplicably challenging. I've nevertheless found interesting uses for dessert wine vinegar, such as making batches of tamarind paste for Indian cooking. One can't easily place what I did, but it makes a difference.

All facts about vinegar-making are in dispute, so read critically and experiment. One wants a good mother, or it's enough to drop in an ember from the KK. One needs to neutralize sulfites in wine by adding 1/2 tsp hydrogen peroxide per bottle (that H2O2 bottle in the cupboard is probably flat), or it doesn't matter.

I used to use a beer-making glass carboy, with the opening covered with cheeesecloth. I have since fallen in love with French cooperage barrels targeting vinegar; I have four 3L barrels, two on each coast. One can draw vinegar as needed, rather than making a production of pouring off bottles for use.

It is mandatory to get stainless steel spigots; the charm of the wooden spigots is quickly lost when they fail, leaking everywhere.

Does enough oxygen get in? Probably, but people who say so may be actively adding leftover wine all the time. It can't hurt to lift the lid whenever you think of it.

Allary oak vinegar barrels

Vinegar Shed (UK source)

Edited September 18, 2022 by Syzygies

[tekobo]

Thanks @Syzygies.  Lots of new information.  I never knew cinders had anything to do with making vinegar.  Lots to learn and, maybe, buy.  

[David Chang]

so a notice popped up in my fb feed. someone a few blocks from my offixe was selling a dry ager dx500. messaged him last night and picked it up today. 

i wonder what kind of accessories i should get. and does anyone know if the uv light is visible when the main light is off? i dont know if the uv light or air filter needs replacing.

[tekobo]

Congratulations @David Chang.  What a find!  I hope you got it for a good price.  I checked mine and the UV light does not show when the main light is off.  I would write to the manufacturer and ask how you check on UV light and filters.  I have not done anything with mine since I bought them and would be interested in what you find out.

The additional accessories that I have are the meat hangers, the sausage hanger and the salt blocks and salt tray.  

[Basher]

Very exciting David.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[David Chang]

old dry ager blew a condenser. 

meet black edition dry ager.

purchased using a trade in program by giving them my busted one.

i’m on my second unit and haven’t dry aged a damn thing …😝

[jonj]

3 hours ago, David Chang said:

i’m on my second unit and haven’t dry aged a damn thing …😝

Well, you are certainly committed to the concept, if not the actual practice...  😉

[David Chang]

4 hours ago, jonj said:

Well, you are certainly committed to the concept, if not the actual practice...  😉

my options were take the loss for the fridge purchased used. repair the fridge at almost the same price as i bought it. or trade in the fridge for a new one at a discount, which if you add the cost spent on the used one, came to be a little less than buying a new one to begin with. 

[David Chang]

i put in a casina "old cow" rib eye today in the new unit. 

crossing my fingers it won't be a catastrophic failure like last time when umai bagging 3 cuts (all spoiled due to fridge shutdown)

 

[David Chang]

first time dry ageing fish. tried a piece just to see if it was edible and it was so delicious. will definitely be doing more, but i feel like i should have gotten the larger dx1000 ager. 😆

 

 

[tekobo]

That looks good @David Chang.  I love to put fish in for a couple of days, just to dry out the skin and make for a nice crunch when you fry it.  Aged belly tuna is also great.

[David Chang]

some pork was pulled from the dry ager today...30 days.

[tekobo]

That looks gorgeous @David Chang!  How did it taste?

[David Chang]

52 minutes ago, tekobo said:

That looks gorgeous @David Chang!  How did it taste?

it tastes brined, but without the added salt or water. the taste was mildly more porky, but im still getting my senses back after getting covid so what i am describing may not be accurat. it was dry to the touch when butchering, but very juicy when cooked. there was definitely a breakdown in proteins, because you can literally bite into it without the aid of a knife and fork..it’s definitely different dimension to pork non-aged..

[tekobo]

Really interesting @David Chang.  I have never dry aged pork for very long, just a couple of days at the most to dry the skin out.  That said, I do buy pork that has been hung by the farmer for 55 days before it gets to me.  What breed of pork was that?  Do you have access to Middle White pork?  I understand that the Japanese value it too so you might be able to get hold of some where you are.  It is simply the best pork I have ever eaten.  That said, I haven't tried many other breeds since I found Middle White.  I will try aging in the dry ager next time I have a suitable piece.  

[tony b]

@tekobo - if you can find some German Black Swabian pork - it's seriously one of the best piggies out there - and I live in the place where the pigs outnumber the people by 700%! Red Wattle and Mulefoot are some other rare heritage breeds found around here.

I think your "Middle White" is what we call Yorkshire here. If so, it's the #1 breed of pig here, followed by Duroc and Berkshire (aka, Kurobuta.)

[tekobo]

Hi @tony b, I looked up the Swabian pig.  Here in Europe it seems to be that you can only get hold of it if you are able to buy direct in/from Germany.  Haven't checked the others out yet but I was indignant when you said my rare and special Middle White was a Yorkshire and is widely farmed/husbanded(?) in Iowa.  Well, you were pretty close.  Your Yorkshire appears to be a Large White pig.  Guess where the Middle White comes in?  It's a cross between the Large White and the, you guessed it, Small White.  Every day is a school day.